What Are Some Things That I Should Look For When Choosing A Body Shop?
Unfortunately, visiting a body shop is one of life’s inevitabilities. Whether you've been in a collision or you’ve had an encounter with a lamp post that came out of nowhere, you’ll need to find a reputable auto body shop that can conduct repairs and get your car back to its stylish state.However, finding a body shop isn’t as simple as just walking along the street and picking the first one you find. Finding a body shop requires intensive consultation and consideration to ensure you get the best quality service for a fair price. To make this easier, we’ve compiled this list to find a reliable body shop in Blainville so you can drop off your car with confidence.
The Location Of The Body Shop
One of the first things you’ll need to look out for is the location of the body shop. Not only is this imperative for determining the distance you’ll need to travel to drop off your car and what transportation you’ll need to pick it up when it's done, but also it will play a primary role in the price of your repairs.Typically, getting your car repaired comes at a higher price if you live in a city, so if you’re residing in a built-up area with high costs of living, you’ll likely confront higher repair bills. Higher taxes and labour rates will quickly drive up the price of repairs, so it’s best to research the area and how far you can travel outside of a city to access lower pricing.
Their Estimates/Price Quotes
The second thing that you’ll need to focus on when finding a body shop is finding one that gives you thorough estimates and breakdowns. While it can be difficult to determine the exact price before the mechanic has seen the car, accessing an estimate is essential for comparing pricing in the region. You should try to gain estimates from as many body shops in Blainville as possible to choose from a wide variety.Encourage the mechanic to give you a thorough breakdown of parts and labour charges so you can decide whether you’ll be charged fairly. Some shops will increase prices depending on their overhead, so if your instincts tell you that they’re overcharging, then you should probably discount them from your selection.
However, you shouldn’t automatically pick the dealer with the lowest prices, as this may be a tactic to gain your service. Based on your research, you should assess whether some pricing is simply too good to be true and base your decision on this.
Online And In-Person Reviews
Reviews are powerful, and while you should take some with a grain of salt, some will be valuable resources when determining whether a body shop offers fair pricing and reliable service. Reviews shouldn’t be exclusive to online reviews; you should also ask your friends, family, or coworkers which body shops they’ve used and their experience with them to access unbiased and unfiltered reviews.Try to look for reviews that mention service speed, value, quality of parts, and customer service, as these should be some of the deciding factors when looking for a body shop.
Mechanic Certification Levels
Although highly skilled mechanics tend to come at a higher price, they may be the ideal option for getting your car fixed and on the road again. When you’re looking for a body shop, try to find shops with highly certified mechanics who may have specialisms in conducting complex repairs.These professionals should be able to fix your car to a very high standard, avoiding future problems. The last thing you’ll want is to go back to a body shop to repair a botched job, so finding a highly qualified mechanic will reduce your chances of doing this.
Discuss With Your Dealership
If you bought your vehicle from a dealership in Blainville, they might have connections to trusted body shops. Additionally, this gives you an opportunity to find out whether your car is still under warranty, as you may be able to omit a portion of the cost of repairs or get repairs for free!Dealerships usually have ties to the body shop where they send their cars for repair before getting them ready for sale. However, always ask for the standard pricing estimates, time frame, and mechanic certification of these body shops, as word-of-mouth shouldn’t be the only thing you base your decision on.